


Deliverer of Man

by LaughingTurtle



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Animatrix, The Matrix (Movies)
Genre: Canon Typical Long-Lost Spock Relative, Crossover, Deassimilated Borg, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, Good Old Fashioned Star Trek Political Naval Gazing, Implied/Referenced Sex, Jadzia Deletes the Merovingian, Multi, President Inyo Unscorch This Sky, Prime Directive (Star Trek), Prime Directive Politics, The Borg, Timeline What Timeline, Zion Religion (The Matrix), lots of flashbacks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-27 13:07:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30123210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaughingTurtle/pseuds/LaughingTurtle
Summary: Starfleet debates the application of the Prime Directive with regards to a prewarp planet rendered nearly uninhabitable by centuries of interspecies war.
Relationships: Jadzia Dax & Spock, Keiko O'Brien/Miles O'Brien, Neo/Trinity, Original Female Dax Host/Original Female Character, Ro Laren/Tasha Yar, Spock/Original Male Romulan Character
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written a fanfic since the Bush era but I was struck with a burst of inspiration in quarantine. This is a work-in-progress and I'll update the prose as I go. 
> 
> (3/26/2021: I'm only at the beginning of a long story so not a lot that I've tagged has shown up let. I'm still learning the etiquette here so I apologise for disappointing anyone. Ro/Tasha, for example, sure is coming. I promise.)
> 
> The timeline is a bit wonky. Try as I may I really couldn't figure out a way to put six One cycles into three hundred years and keep it realistic. I decided that I can be looser with the Matrix timelines given that there aren't a ton of hard facts (and the handful of people who do have the facts tend to lie.) I think it's canonically justified for Neo to have taken twice as long to emerge as his predecessor, but I don have to ask you all to forgive my handwaving. (No matter how much adjusting I do I can't make the 140 years I needed fit into the 100 years Morpheus estimated, so he was either speaking poetically or was misinformed.) I'm really bad at math. 
> 
> I've incorporated some elements of The Matrix Online, but the timeline has changed so much that I don't consider it worth tagging. 
> 
> I hammered out most of the plot and worldbuilding before I became aware of the events in Star Trek: Picard, and while tantalizing, I was not able to incorporate the relevant elements to the extent they really deserve.
> 
> I also decided early on to fuse the characters of Tasha Yar and Switch due to their similar physiques and personalities and only later read about the significance of Switch's unrealized gender fluidity, which was cut from a previous draft of The Matrix, but nevertheless remains a crucial element of queer readings of the film. I decided to respect this by placing Tasha in the role Switch had in the film and placing Switch on another ship. Tasha flew on the Nebuchanezzar, Switch flies on the Circe with Janeway. They both survive.
> 
> I'm honestly having a hard time believing that I'm the first person in twenty years to write about the One before Neo and suspect I haven't stumbled across the right tag. If anybody knows what it is, let me know. 
> 
> Finally, I owe the concept of Neftechia Zh'Evritiqi to my best friend PerpetuaLilium, who mentioned wanting to write a fringe Federation politician whose hot-button issue was to abolish the Prime Directive. We affectionately call her "Spacemantha Power". I'm very grateful. I'm also extremely grateful for the assistance of my beta Stracciatellino, for his patience and suggestions, as well as my dear friend Maya. I couldn't do this without you.
> 
> I'm foreseeing this story being about 30 chapters long based off my outline, which probably means I won't be done until Matrix 4 comes out and disproves a lot of my ideas. My goal is to try to finish before that, but only time will tell!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Captain Keshat analyzes the fauna and history of Helios III, a mysterious prewarp planet in the heart of Federation space.

CAPTAIN'S LOG  
Captain's Log of Captain Keshat of the UFP Storge. Stardate 47603.3.

Jadzia Dax has uncovered unusual readings from a small region on Helios III which seems to indicate the presence of conventional life. The civilization on Helios III briefly achieved a form of primitive spaceflight, which scarcely penetrated the outside of their star system. Fortunately for our archaeologists, this society chose to leave behind what can only be called a children’s time capsule, which provides glimpses at their physiology, habitat, and most relevantly, their language. 

Little of what can be gleaned from these photographs can be identified today. Archaeologists have long argued about the ultimate providence of the self-described Golden Discs (a pretentious name if any of such primitive items); the species resembles many throughout the galaxy and its inclement climate is unsuitable for extensive study. However, while several distinguished linguists have identified the tongue of the Golden Disc as not one but over a dozen languages, the one which appears to be the primary language has been deciphered by our Universal Translator and confirmed to match the text on a simple plaque on its moon. 

HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH  
FIRST SET FOOT ON THE MOON  
JULY 1969, A. D.  
WE COME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND  
NEIL A. ARMSTRONG, ASTRONAUT MICHAEL COLLINS, ASTRONAUT  
EDWIN E. ALDRIN, JR., ASTRONAUT RICHARD NIXON, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

Pop historians have associated this mayfly of a society with the Terran Empire of the theoretical mirror universe. Helosian scholarship and Mirror Universe scholarship are often studied by the same crowd, and as such this name has stuck. As fanciful as such a term may be, it is useful shorthand for our purposes. This is because we have identified another species inhabiting Helios III, which is unattested on the Golden Record but appears to be far more numerous. It is this species we are most interested in, as they are unlike nearly any other species identified in the galaxy. They appear to be entirely robotic. Some life scans seem to indicate that they have entered some sort of symbiotic relationship with the Terrans, which some self-declared Heliosologists compare to the Trill and their Symboiant. Others theorize that the robots formed independently and settled the planet sometime after the construction of the Golden Record. Nevertheless, it has become useful to differentiate between these two very different lifeforms. Because the creators of the Golden Disc have already have a popular ethnonym, going forward we shall refer to them as the Terrans and the robotic civilization rightfully as Heliosans. 

All attempts to communicate with the Heliosans have failed.

By all accounts these peoples do not appear to have developed warp capabilities. Heliosologist scholars speculate that this may not be true. They base this primarily off how we recovered the Golden Discs from the belly of V’ger about one hundred years ago. It is speculated that V’ger should be considered akin to the Helosians, as Helios-originated robotic lifeform. By my judgement, this supposition is illogical and lacks sufficient evidence to be considered a theory. It is just as likely that V’ger absorbed the items, perhaps from an early Heliosan, or perhaps not, in the same manner that tree sap encapsulates an insect. A handful of fringe scholars even propose the Heliosans a relative or prototype to the Borg, despite apparently emerging on the opposite sides of the galaxy. 

The first challenge approaching this planet is the approach itself. Its atmosphere is filled to the brim with small robotic lifeforms which seem to block all radiation from its sun. Jadiza Dax has a handful of them captured in a tub in her lab. They are fascinating little creatures which reproduce like tribbles. We have more than the necessary capacity to fly the Storge though them should this prove necessary, but to do so risks violating the Prime Directive. I have chosen an Away Team out of officers who could pass for Terran, based on the images they have provided. If it weren’t for this aspect of the atmosphere, we could have beamed down without a second thought as any other planet, but their predominance even prevents our transporter beams from functioning. 

The obvious solution is to shoot them. That said, this planet does not indicate any signs of open water despite its apparent plenitude in the images on the Golden Discs; all if it is held in its thick cloud cover. Although any holes we blow with our with our weapons will inevitably be patched together in a few days, it could result in the first rainfall in centuries. It is unclear if Heliosans are harmed by water. We do not wish to expose this planet to more of this substance and potentially damage its environment. Instead, we modified our ship’s phaser to stun them temporarily, enough time to blow them out of our way and beam our way down. Lt. Cmdr. Data volunteered to beam down alone temporarily to test the radio communication lines between the Storge and the ground; sound quality appears no worse than that of any other planet with a thick atmosphere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is going to be a long one, folks. Hope you enjoy the journey. I'm hoping to update at a regular time frame; I have a nasty habit of never finishing anything and I'm hoping this will finally break it. (3/19/21).


	2. First Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew of the Storge encounter their first Terrans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this early because this upcoming weekend will be busy for me. I'll likely polish it up in the future, but if there are any major changes I'll note it here in order to avoid confusion. This is a dialogue-heavy one, to be warned. 
> 
> I'm using long M-dashes to indicate telepathic communication with the Betazoid First Officer, Eenok. In my draft on my computer it's done with italics, but I don't know how to do Italics here. Plus it's a fun nod to James Joyce.
> 
> Nephthys is an original character. I've decided against inventing hacker/code names for humans to avoid confusion.

“Keshat to Data. Can you hear me, Mr. Data?” 

As was expected, the planet was dark. There was a rumble of lightening now and again, too far away to pose a risk. By all accounts, the atmospheric sensations correlated to that of a garden planet shortly before the rain; a Bajoran poet Data admired compared the sensation to pregnancy. But he knew that this was not Bajor and the waters were stuck on the other side. 

“In precisely the same manner, Mr. Data. Is it acceptable for us to beam down? Are there any signs of witnesses?”

Data checked the tricorder. “There appears to be a single Terran located about a quarter mile away. I cannot tell if their path will cross us or not.”

“They better not come any closer,” Data overheard Mii’cha say. “I’m not sure how much longer this gap is going to last. If we do another blow we’d sure get their attention anyhow. I’d say it’s now or never.”

“Agreed,” Keshat said. “Mii’cha, prepare away team to beam down.” 

“Yes, captain.”

In a flash of light the rest of the away team arrived at Data’s side. Jadzia grinned so brightly it seemed to illuminate her spots. 

“It feels like this should be covered in mud, but it’s dry as a bone,” Eenok said. “You’re certainly happy.”

“This is like my first Klingon opera,” Jadzia said. She slid to the ground and immediately started scanning. Naturally this place should be empty of vegetation, but….. “I’m sensing signs of soil fungi. There are only scattered bits and they look like they didn’t originate here. Maybe they were dredged up or something…..wait a second.” She smacked her scanner and sent it back into the dirt. “I’m getting a small amount of decaying organic material. It looks like a tiny bit of a plant.”

“There’s something alive down there?” 

“Not alive right now, but it was very shortly.” Jadzia slid a glass vial out from her pack and stuffed it with a sample of dirt. 

\--You know that smell, Eenok?

“Hmmm?”

“It’s not that different from other dry worlds, but I’ve dreamed about it for years.” Jadzia pulled out her tricorder and studied the dirt. “That’s funny.” 

“Do you see any live plants down there?” Ro Laren said, “Potatoes or carrots or something? If there’s lifeforms here, they’ve got to eat something.”

“No, nothing other than this dried stub of something, but it’s certainly organic material. It’s hard, it’s calcified…I suspect it’s bone.” Jadzia knelt on the dirt and pulled out an excavation shovel. “Bone and metal.” 

“Is it a burial?” 

“If it is, it’s a very primitive one, although on the other hand, what do we expect?” After about a half hour of digging, Jadzia recovered a chunk of damaged metal, and a small fragment of bone. “I don’t think it’ll be necessary to perform a complete excavation or anything,” she said, “besides, it’d be best not to attract too much attention to ourselves. The less we see of the locals, the less the risk of breaking the Prime Directive.” 

“I would act quickly, then,” Data said, “A small group of Helosians have entered the perimeter of my scanner range. They do not appear to be heading towards us at a great pace.”

“How’s the Terran?”

“She remains stationary.” 

“Captain,” Jadzia said, “I think you need to see this.” 

“As you see,“ Jadzia said, pointing to her tricorder, “I scanned the genetic structure of this bone. I attempted to scan the skin fragments on the metal, but all of it is too badly burned to be of use. The metal is too damaged for any initial political identification, but this scarring appears consistent with electrocution.”

“An unfortunate end,” Ro Laren said. “But I can’t imagine an unusual one. The electromagnetic objects in the atmosphere must make any lifeform here prone to lightning strikes. You’d think the Terrans would know better than to put on metal suits, or at least, have the ones that need them kept out of harm’s way.” 

“Here’s the best part,” Jadzia said, “This isn’t a Terran.” 

“It’s not? What else could it be?”

“I’ve run the results several times, and the sequence has always been perfect,” Jadzia continued, “This is a female Talaxian.” 

“What would a Talaxian be doing halfway across the galaxy?” Ro Laren said, raising an eyebrow. 

Eenok remained silent, but he thought to Keshat,   
\--I suspect you might be right.

“Curious,” Keshat said, “but we should not jump to conclusions. We know that this planet was contacted at least twice in its past, so this should not come off as abnormal. It is hardly in a remote part of the galaxy.”

“I suggest you continue the investigation later,” Data said, “the Terran is approaching us.”

Jadzia placed bone and metal fragments into a container bag and beamed them directly into her laboratory on the ship. 

\--Okay everybody, remember the instructions for pre-warp social contact, Eenok thought to a chorus of something along the lines of "Yes sir," with several levels of finding such instruction condescending. 

Ro Laren tapped the bridge of her nose to ensure that the tape held. The same law that kept the Federation from defending Bajor from Cardassia forced her to hide her Bajoran-ness and she felt it every time she reminded herself to breathe primarily through her mouth. But she knew from Eenok’s presence she needed to quiet this feeling of frustration and mild humiliation; she knew from the generic, comforting vibes he sent to her whenever this happened. 

\--I voted straight-ticket Responsibility to Protect this year, she thought to herself. I’d vote for Zh’Evritiqi herself if I lived on Andoria. Eenok did not respond. 

The Terran was an early middle-aged woman. She wore some kind of knitted clothing. Dax suspected it was made of some sort of acrylic, given the lack of other options; and such thing must be either rare or weak, given its holes. “You need to get down,” she shouted; “If I knew there’d be so many people up here tonight, I wouldn’t have run my tests today. I wish you’d told me. You know it’s not safe to gather in such a large group.” 

Eenok read no hostility from her, only fear and concern. He felt her heart soften.

“You must be new,” she said. 

“We are indeed,” Eenok said, once he sensed Keshat’s approval.

“Did you get out on your own? Where’d you find this fabric? Or was your ship attacked…Never mind. I know that you must be very confused,” the Terran woman said. “What’s important is that it’s not safe to come out in groups. The Squddies usually don’t consider a single person worth fighting over, usually, but if there’s two of us, or three…”

“Squiddies?” 

“Sentinels. I mean, those robots with the sharp tentacles that probably took your ship out.” 

The crew nodded in the affirmative but noncommittal fashion every cadet learned in the Academy. 

“Look, there’s a lot to explain and not a lot of time. I know it’s a lot to take in, and it’s more difficult at your age, but we really need to get out of here while we still can.” The Terran woman pulled out what appeared to be a primitive headset and pressed a button. As she shifted her arm, the crew could notice they were lined with what appeared to be power outlets. “Keiko to Zorya.”

A voice on the other end responded, apparently that of a male, but it was too crackly for the Universal Translator to make out. “I found a group of unaccounted-for, potentially newly-freed adults…There’s five of them…Yes, I know we’ll have to squeeze….No, I don’t know what ship they were on. They may have self-substantiated…of course it’s possible!...They appear very confused…Yes, they’re wearing clothes…You have my coordinates?...Yes. Thank you. I’ll see you soon.” She slid the microphone away from her mouth. “Now,” she said, “My husband should be here to pick you up shortly. I know you must have a thousand questions, but, well, welcome to the true Earth.” 

“It’s good to be here, after longing to for so long,” Jadzia said. 

“I know,” Keiko said. A soft smile formed on her lips. “My name is Keiko O’Brien, and I’m the chief experimental botanist at the Zion Nutritional Center. I’ve never been on a recovery mission before. Forgive me for not knowing the protocol. It was a very long time ago for me.” 

The crew gave their names: “Keshat,” “Jadzia,” “Eenok,” “Data”, “Laren.” 

“Yes,” Keiko said, “The Machines keep destroying our farms. I’m lucky that I escaped with my life. I’m more of the experimental type of scientist, I’m trying to determine a way that we can grow them underground, but we have precious few ultraviolet lights.”

“What on earth do you eat?” Jadzia said.

“Soil microprotein, mostly,” Keiko said. “I know it doesn’t sound appetizing, but it’s better than what you’re used to eating.”

“Which is?”

Keiko started to speak several times but stopped herself before she uttered anything sufficient for the Universal Translator, until eventually: “There’s really no delicate way to put it. You might want to ask Tasha, she’ll be on our ship, she’s a former Rescuer so she’ll know how to explain.”

“I don’t like the sound of that.”

“You shouldn’t.”

What Keiko described as the ship arrived. It was about the size of a school bus and with glowing antigravity discs. Jadzia smiled at the quaintness of it all. The ship sent down a hanging ladder. A pink-faced man with curly yellow hair called down, “Come on, we haven’t got all day!”

Keiko grabbed ahold and climbed up first and gestured for the others to follow. “Thanks for agreeing to bring them,” she said. 

“Of course,” the male Terran said, “A little bit of close quarters never hurt anybody.”

Keiko kissed him.

“Alright, alright, make it quick,” a said another Terran who they couldn’t see, “We’ve got company.” 

\--I will go up last, Keshat thought at Eenok. Any trouble and we beam out of here and they can think whatever they want. But there was no need for that; they slid onto the ship without issue. The man who Keiko kissed rolled up the ladder and secured the door shut.

Onboard the ship were two more female Terrans and one more male from who they had seen before. One of the women appeared around Keiko’s age, the other appeared significantly younger. The man older than all the others. He had with him a small white ball with two embroidered braids. He tossed it in his hand as he spoke to them. 

“Generally we don’t do rescues, we’re a scientific vessel and we’re hardly equipped for that, but we also do not leave any of our people behind.” 

“By all accounts, thank you,” Jadzia said.

“There’s no need,” he said. “All human beings are responsible for each other.”

There was suddenly an enormous thud.

“We’ve got three Squiddies on the nine-o’clock-side,” said the older woman. “EMP ready to strike.” 

“Fire at will. Nephthys, get us out of here.”

“Roger that.”

The ship sent out a shock of artificial lightning that knocked the three robots of their side. Two of them fell to pieces as they fell; one of them maintained largely in one piece and one of its tentacles twitched. 

Keshat turned off her Universal Translator and hit her com badge. “Keshat to Mii’cha,” she said in Caitian, “Can you make out that Heliosan?”

“Yes, Captain. He’s still within the cleared range.”

“Beam him up.”

“Excuse me?”

“That is my order, Chief. He appears to be mortally injured, and he may be our only opportunity to communicate with one of them. Bring him to a holodeck and try to avoid extensive unfamiliar contact.”

“Right away, Captain.” 

The injured Heliosan disappeared in a beam of light as the ship darted away. The Terrans did not appear to notice. Keshat turned her Universal Translator back on.

“Was that lady meowing?” the younger woman murmured as she steered the ship.

“Nephthys, she’s essentially newly freed. People cope with it in different ways,” Keiko said.

“Yeah, you’re no one to judge,” the other woman said. 

“Don’t distract me while I’m driving,” Nephthys said.

Keshat walked over to Data. “Are you alright, Mr. Data?”

“Fortunately, it does not appear that the electrical shock affected me any more than the rest of you,” he said, “Whatever this transport is, it is very well-built.” 

“Forgive the interruption. My name is Benjamin Sisko, and I am the captain of the Zorya. We’re part of the science fleet in the Zion military—that is, our home, the city of free humans.” He paused when he saw the blank looks on the Starfleet officers’ faces. He tossed his white ball in the air and caught it with the same hand. “I don’t want to pressure any of you, but you have to understand, we don’t know how much you know. Don’t feel obliged to answer any of this, but help it jog your memory so it can help us figure out what’s going on. I think we can bypass the obvious. How long have you been freed?”

“I am not quite sure how to answer this question,” Keshat said.

“I know it must have been some time,” Sisko said.

“Why is that, Captain?”

“I do not wish to sound condescending, but it’s because you all have such long hair.”

Keiko walked over to Sisko and whispered something.

“You five were never in the Matrix, were you?” the captain said.

“I cannot adequately answer that question,” Keshat said. “What is the Matrix?”

“What is the Matrix,” the Keiko's husband murmured. “Doesn’t that bring a man back. That’s how it always starts.”

“I’m getting the sense that you’re not from around here, are you?” Sisko said. 

“No, “ Eenok said, “We’re travelers from far away.” He sensed Jadzia developing a migraine and projected to her, --I’ve got some hypospray in my pocket if you need it.

“It’s basically a prisoner-of-war camp,” Sisko said, “Most of us were born there. And when you’re born there, you don’t have any way of knowing that there’s anything else. I suppose it shouldn’t come as much as a surprise that, wherever you were, you had no way of knowing that we existed either. But I can’t emphasize enough how much we’d want to know about you.”

“Weren’t there strangers who came in Sophia’s time?” Nephthys said, “We were friendly with them. Her own sister lived among them, right?”

“That’s what most historians believe, yes,” Sisko said. 

“Yes, see? It all makes sense,” Nephthys said; her smile so bright that it bled into her voice. “You’re all here because the One’s come back, aren’t you?”

“I do not know what you mean when you refer to the One, or anyone by the name of Sophia,” Keshat said.

“Sounds like your hypothesis is proven wrong,” Keiko's husband said, “You’re so quick to jump to conclusions. It’s a miracle the Agents didn’t get you before we did." The word agent was particularly difficult for the Universal Translate to decipher; for only some of them did it go with the literal translation, and for others it went with "being of power", or "pagh wraith." 

“It can’t be a coincidence that they’re here around the same time he came. Morpheus says that there are no coincidences.” 

“Morpheus says a lot of things, Nephthys,” said the woman who sent out the lightning shock.” I wouldn’t use him a backer to weird these people out.”

“Aren’t you having dinner with Neo this evening, Tasha?” Keiko said, “It’s Friday night.” 

“Unless something comes up, yeah,” the woman with the gun said, “I’ll have to run it by Trinity first. She’s running a training exercise tonight, and Neo gets anxious around strangers.”

“That woman is finished the Battle of Britain simulation in thirty-five minutes," Keiko's husband said. "I didn’t think it was possible if I didn’t see it myself.”

“That’s because she takes it seriously, Miles,” Tasha said.

“Sophia was the first Terran to release herself from the Matrix,” Nephthys continued, “This was about one hundred and twenty years ago. She built the city and set the first generation here free herself. Late in her life she was said to meet some outsiders from a different settlement who were never in the Matrix, although some people say that was an embellishment and a metaphor or something. Now we know that’s wrong. Anyways. Right before she died, she promised us that there would be another like her, who will do wonders like her, and the Oracle confirmed that the person she was talking about will end the war and usher in an era of happiness and peace for mankind that we haven’t known in countless generations. And a few months ago we found him.”

\--I’d actually really appreciate that hypospray, Jadzia thought, rubbing her temple to relieve a sudden squeeze. Eenok sought out a secluded corner on their ship and guided her there. When he was sure no one was looking he sprayed it against her forehead. I’m sure it’s just this dry climate, she directed at him again, although they both knew how pointless it was to lie to a telepath.

“He only does ‘wonders’ inside the Matrix,” Miles said, “we don’t really know why he’s like that. Some of us theorize that it’s a weird glitch that accidentally made him like an agent, or an outlier in a field of statistics, or that he was sent by the gods, I guess. You couldn’t pick him out from a crowd here.” 

“Miles, your people have been waiting nearly twenty-four centuries for your savior to return,” Nephthys said, “We only had to wait one.”

“Your religion is your business,” Miles said, “but as far as I’m concerned Keiko did more for our people than Neo or anyone else.” 

“Miles, don’t embarrass me in front of the guests!” Keiko laughed. She blushed in the same manner as other humanoids. 

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Miles said, “You’re the first person since Geoffrey to get wheat to grow on this godforsaken wasteland.”

“Yes, but unlike Geoffrey, none of it lasted to harvest,” Keiko said. 

“How were you able to get it to grow in this environment?” Eenok said, “Does the atmospheric blockage have any holes which allow the sunlight through?”

“We use ultraviolet lamps,” Keiko said. “We used to be able to find them in our old cities from time to time. They used to use them in hospitals and the likes, but the pickings are few. There was never much left and there’s even less now. The ones I’ve used were manufactured, but if the Machines---” with each passing word, "machine" began to be translated to "Heliosan"— “continue to destroy our gardens, sometimes it feels like a waste of resources. We make what we can in Zion, but we’re concerned about any further expansion of our fields could lead the Heliosans right to us.”

“Nobody’s seen the sun in three hundred years,” Miles said. 

“It’s said that Sophia did, when the outsiders came,” Nephthys said, “She wept so much that she could’ve restored the seas if she wasn’t on a hovercraft like ours. That might just be a metaphor though.”

“Do you think your savior will bring the sun back?” Laren said, although she looked at Keshat as she asked this rather than Nephthys. Keshat raised an eyebrow in curiosity and they both locked eyes with Nephthys. 

“None of our prophecies promise it,” Nephthys said, “but our holy books talk about the sun so much...there’s always hope, I guess.”

\--I think that such a sudden event so close to our arrival would qualify as an infringement of the Prime Directive, no matter how we try to pin it on their god, Eenok projected, and then, --Captain, do you think we’re dealing with a Q?

\--If it is a Q, than it is a lazy Q, or perhaps a selfish one, Keshat responded by thought, Messianism is a common phenomenon, especially among cultures under political stress. There is no reason to assume any more fantastical explanation. 

“Have any of you ever read the novels of St. Roland of Oxford?” said Miles.

The away team responded with blank stares; with the exception of Jadzia, whose migraine had grown such that she could not stand; and Eenok, who shifted his body at the precise angle to apply some hypospray to her head where the Terrans couldn’t see. 

“Anyways, I grew up on The Lord of the Rings,” Miles said, “Shortly after I got here Julian got me into the Silmarillion and the other books on the history of its world---it’s set in a different universe from ours, you see—originally, they didn’t have a sun. They had these two great, sacred lamps originally, but they got destroyed by evildoers. And then the angels took the light from the lamps and placed them into two sacred trees, but they were also destroyed, and so the angels took one fruit from one tree and one flower from another and out them in the sky as their sun and moon. So the image of the sun is that of a thrice-scarred world. When I see the sun in the Matrix, that’s all I can see.” 

“So you have a sun in your prisoner-of-war camp, but not outside?” Data said, “Curious. I was wondering what the Heliosans were using as a power source. We have explored only a short territory, buy we’ve not noticed any sort of oil refinery or windmill or any other similar power source. I could not help but wonder why you did not determine earlier that it was to your mutual benefit to work together to clear your atmosphere, but I believe you have answered my question.”

“It’s not nuclear fission if that’s what you’re thinking,” Miles said, “and they ran out of fossil fuels after about twenty-five years, not that we left them a lot in the first place.”

“What power source are they using, if none of the ones listed?” Data said. 

“Well, you’re looking at it.”

“I do not understand what you are trying to imply.”

“We’re the power source and that’s the only reason they bother to keep us alive,” Miles said. “I’m sorry to be the one to have to tell you. We’re a species of livestock. Hasn’t always been that way, but longer than you’d want to know.”

“You really should’ve let Trinity handle this, she’s trained in it,” Tasha said. “It’s a bitter pill to swallow. Everyone wants to know the truth until they learn the truth and then they choke on it. She said you can come to dinner by the way.”

“How is that even remotely efficient?” Data asked, “Terrans are mammals, not reptiles, and therefore need to constantly consume calories to regulate body heat. This issue is compounded by lack of accurate nutrition and climactic discomfort….”

“Captain, the port authority needs you to sign off on the guests,” Nephthys said. “Tasha---”

“Yes, fine, we might as well bring you along too. Better a ton of strangers at once rather than one at a time.”

"I--really? That's not what I was going to ask at all. I don't think I'm ready--"

"Take it or leave it Nephthys, before we change our minds."

“It’s not efficient,” Keiko said, “they’re operating at a wash most of the time. Theoretically we only need to free a small fraction of our sleeping cousins to shut the whole thing down forever, but none of our calculated numbers have ever been enough.”

“They cannot use the indoor sun for power at all?”

“Data, there is no indoor sun,” Miles said. “Not really. They put the image in your head to make you feel like everything’s normal, so you don’t realize what’s happening to you. I think everybody knows, one way or another, or at least that’s how it was for me. It’s always easier to accept something simple and comforting to something harsh and complicated. But then again, here we are.”

“I see.”

“It’s easy for us to look down on them, like they’re a bunch of daft animals who can’t see they’re being manipulated, but the truth is it’s all a matter of circumstances. Can I really blame my parents for having their hands full of me?” Miles said, “It’s a strange feeling, to pity and envy someone at the same time. That’s why we’ve got the first of Sophia’s Great Maxims. I don’t see her as a prophet or a goddess or whatever it is most people do here, but she was right about this. Every human being relies on each other.”

“How often do you see your family?” Eenok asked. 

“Never,” Miles said. “We’re dead to them. It’s better for them that way. This way, Agents don’t care about the ones we’ve left behind.” His voice fell to a whisper. “One time though, I was assigned a mission in New Orleans and stopped in for a bite at Sisko’s father’s restaurant. He seems to have peace with his son’s death, but of course I didn’t pry. I wished that I could tell him that he had a grandson, but I knew that by recognizing him I’d already risked too much. ”

“You mentioned that Sophia had multiple Maxims," Data said, after a long silence. "If you do not mind my inquiring, what are the others? You have peaked my curiosity.” 

“There’s dozens of Lesser Maxims that we’re not certain are authentic,” Miles said, happy to change the subject, “but there’s only one other Great Maxim.”

"How does it go?"

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone sure won't follow the Second Great Maxim of Sophia. 
> 
> Seriously if anyone knows the tag for the One before Neo, please let me know. I simply refuse to believe I'm the only person to write about them in nearly twenty years. 
> 
> I also specified the Talaxian as female because my beta was afraid that the body was Neelix's. I assure you, it's not.


End file.
